'We are interested': 6-inning minimum for starting pitchers being considered by MLB commissioner's office

The MLB commissioner's office is reportedly considering a rule change that would require starting pitchers to play at least six innings per game.

MLB officials spoke to ESPN and expressed that the league is looking to both have starting pitchers spend more time in the game and also cut back on injuries. While these two viewpoints seem contradictory, the league also reportedly wants more balance in terms of strikeouts versus hits. A pitcher who knows he has to stay in the game longer may take some velocity off his pitches, making it easier for the batter.

'We all want to go at least six.'

"We are interested in increasing the amount of action in the game, restoring the prominence of the starting pitcher and reducing the prevalence of pitching injuries," an MLB official told ESPN. "There are a whole host of options in addressing those issues."

The alleged objective is to prioritize starting pitching but also avoid leaving in a struggling pitcher simply to meet the six-inning minimum.

To counteract this possibility, some caveats would have to be carved out. Some of the suggested exceptions would allow a pitcher to leave the game after:

• Throwing 100 pitches
• Giving up 4+ earned runs
• An injury followed by mandatory time on the injured list

In regards to the minimum, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo said "I do that anyway."

"We all want to go at least six," he added.

"It's such a bad idea," baseball analyst Gary Sheffield Jr. told Blaze News. "So bad that it would never be considered by the players."

Sheffield stressed that requiring such a pitch count would be extremely detrimental to young pitchers.

"At the velocities they're throwing these days most young arms would explode."

Arizona Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen suggested pulling back on velocity would be an inevitable result.

"That's a tough thing, because that's where you get outs," Hazen explained.

According to Bleacher Report, MLB starters are averaging 5.25 innings in 2024 while Triple-A starters are averaging 4.3. This appears to reveal that development would be required in the minor leagues to extend the life of a starting pitcher another .75 innings in the majors.

Teams have become much more strict in terms of pitch counts for their starters in recent years, so much so that only 21 pitchers have thrown complete games in 2024. Just three pitchers — Kevin Gausman (TOR), Max Fried (ATL), Cristopher Sanchez (PHI) — have more than one.

Aside from the minimum-innings rule, the league has also reportedly considered limiting the size of pitching staffs and implementing the double-hook DH rule.

Currently being experimented with in the independent Atlantic League, the double-hook DH rule causes a team to lose their designated hitter if they remove their starting pitcher from the game.

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